Restaurant Review: The Apollo Arms, Clapham in London

The Apollo Arms, which opened on the popular south London streets of Clapham Old Town earlier this year, has elegantly transformed an unusually large site that has never quite found its footing. Formerly a Meat Liquor burger joint, and prior to that a Jam Tree cocktail bar, today you’ll find a charming gastro pub that celebrates the best of British hospitality. Passionate about creating ‘real’ public houses, co-founders Hubert and Oliver create places that embody the very best bits of our beloved pub culture: from scotch eggs to real ales, and Sunday roasts; among London’s most vibrant neighbourhoods.

Inspired by ‘Apollo’ the Greek god of sunshine, unlike the group’s two other locations (The Hunter’s Moon on the Fulham Road and The Ganymede in Belgravia), The Apollo Arms has a huge beer garden hidden up its sleeve. In celebration of their first outdoor space, the team wanted to honour the sun, which makes the great outdoors ‘even greater’ – particularly when it decides to make an appearance at home in London.

The Apollo Arms beer garden — Inspired by ‘Apollo’ the Greek god of sunshine, The Apollo Arms has a huge beer garden hidden up its sleeve

One of the latter additions to the portfolio of pubs in the lively southwest London neighbourhood, The Apollo Arms is a modern-day food and drink destination that champions real ales, and pub classics but also understands that (particularly in this locale) brunch is not to be overlooked. Available on Saturdays between 10am-2pm, The Apollo Arms dishes out brunch favourites from the staple smashed avocado on sourdough, to eggs Benedict and the trusty royale. Competing with Clapham’s bounty of brunch spots, The Apollo Arms has also created a line up of brunch aperitifs, including the chilli and cucumber margarita, bloody mary martini and apple roll spritz.

When it comes to its food, The Apollo Arms doesn’t cut corners with lunch and dinner menus that change daily. Understanding that quality is key in the ruthless hospitality landscape, Hubert, Oliver, and their team have nurtured relationships with local producers to execute seasonal menus that showcase the best locally sourced produce. Rejoicing all that is great about the often-overlooked nostalgia of British dining, at The Apollo Arms, expect to see familiar English classics twisted with international flavours. This sits alongside dishes that have become so popular across the capital across the last decade, notably including tuna sashimi and burrata.

The Apollo Arms food — The Apollo Arms is a modern-day food and drink destination that champions real ales, and pub classics

I visited for the evening with some friends, walking through the space that embodies a contemporary interpretation of the quintessential pub to the garden at the back for an al fresco aperitif. Seated at our table inside, we ordered a selection of starters to share. Influenced by Europe but made mostly with British produce, this included the steak tartare with truffle mayonnaise, herb leaf salad and crispy egg, foie gras and chicken liver parfait with white wine jelly and toasted brioche and a large burrata served with basil, chives and crispy shallots.

From the ‘pub classics’ the braised feather blade I ordered with truffle mayonnaise, kale, triple cooked truffle and parmesan chips is a signature favourite, and for good reason. This sits alongside the beloved beer-battered haddock and chips with tartar sauce and pea purée elevated with some curry sauce, and The Apollo Arms beef burger with gruyere cheese.

Other main courses embody a fine-dining theme. Choose from the confit duck cooked in Thai penang style with jasmine rice, kaffir lime, Thai basil and cucumber salad, or back to Europe with the olive oil poached plaice with fennel purée, seaweed butter, clams, pickled cucumber and sea vegetables. For dessert, indulge in the classic sticky toffee pudding with banana and vanilla ice cream or a mango, vanilla, and fruity ‘Solero’ take on the baked Alaska.

The Apollo Arms entrance — On Sundays, The Apollo Arm’s follows in the footsteps of the acclaim of its sister sites with its Sunday Roast

On Sundays, The Apollo Arms follows in the footsteps of the acclaim of its sister sites with its Sunday roast. Choose from butter roasted corn-fed chicken with bread sauce; treacle cured sirloin of beef with horseradish cream, or crisp suckling pork belly with caramelised apple sauce. Each generous plate is served with all the expected trimmings, such as Yorkshire puddings, crispy roast potatoes and lashings of gravy. These seasonal menus are paired with a suitably English drinks list from Coates and Seely English sparkling, many locally sourced spirits and a selection of craft beers and ales; personally approved by Hubert and Oliver.